Reviews & Ratings for Alpen Shasta Ridge 20-60x80 Waterproof Spotting Scope w/Tripod — 9 reviews — Page 1

The clarity of the lens is amazing. And the ability to fine tune the focus is tremendous. This is a great buy!

For the money this can't be beat. However, even with the 80mm size, you do notice some light drop off and softening of the focus at full zoom. At 40x it is crisp and bright. Glad that I did not opt for a lower priced item. For seeing shot placement at the range, this is the minimum I would find useful.

A shooting buddy of mine bought this scope on another friends recommendation. Initially neither one of us thought this scope was worth the money even though it is on the economy to mid price scale. We both had trouble looking through it and getting our eye relief right at 100 and 300yds. There may be some issue with this particular scope when it is rotated side ways. His scope is also the 45degree angle version. We finally took it out to a 1000yd range with steel at 100yd intervals. I set the scope up with the eye piece up so while sitting in a camp chair and the scope on a tripod, the user must tilt their head down to look into eye piece. Much easier to get the eye relief right and to zoom up and focus. I had no trouble seeing the targets out to 1000yds but very hard to focus at 1000yd steel and a hazy, heavy mirage. I had no trouble seeing the steel move when my buddy shot it out to 800yds. I could not see steel move at 900 and 1000yds. I was however able to see my buds first shot at the 1000yd target hit about 4 feet high into the berm and was able to talk him down in 2 minute increments to where I was not seeing the bullet impact the berm and had to assume it was on the big steel at 1000yds. Several things to take away here. This is a good to great scope for 800yds or less spotting. If you are going to do most of your spotting on a bench and not on a tall tripod, get the straight body/eyepiece design. I think for bench top or tripod top, I would still go wi...
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I became interested in the Alpen 786 spotting scope after reading a review by Michael Cantor in the Summer 2014 issue of The Varmint Hunter magazine. I find his review accurate. He says "If you are tired of infer ion products, I urge you to give Alpin a try. Not only do you get excellent quality, you get it for a reasonable price. And with Alpen's lifetime warranty you have nothing to loose."

See above pros and cons.
I use this scope at a 200metre outdoor rifle range setup right next to me for spotting my targets. I can easily see any .30cal holes at 200m with the .17hmr and .223 etc easier to see on white paper on most days. With black bullseyes I find it a bit tricky to find the .17hmr holes at 200m, but that's understandable!! I only use printed paper targets from home though, not the bright layered ones that you can buy :)
Overall though, I never really need to leave the bench and walk to the targets all day. This scope really is fantastic. I can easily help friends track their shots if they are only using 3-9x rifle scopes etc. Can even track the vapor trail and splash of bullets if they miss. Saves a LOT of time, walking and guess-work. Makes rifle sighting in or click changes easier to track.
I could (obviously) talk all day about this Alpen scope! The price was great, on special when I grabbed this from Optics Planet. Always a pleasure.
Cheers, Len from New Zealand

Pros: Very clear, easy to focus. Tripod does shake a little, but the fine adjustment knobs limit this. Still clear ar maximum 60x zoom, outstanding at lower power 20-40x. The large objective (80mm) lets in lots of light. Includes extendable sunshade, and screw on caps. East to find, intuitive fine focus knob. My kit came with the sturdy, foam-lined carry case.
Cons: I don't know if more expensive brands are clearer or better, as I have not used them. Size / bulkyness may not suit some? C...
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I got the Alpen 768 for target shooting. The scope resolves .30 caliber hits in a splatter target at 300 yards; at 200 yards hits in a normal paper target are observable if mirage is not too strong. The huge ocular is very eye-glass friendly. There is some barrel distortion at the extreme edges, but the wide field of view makes this inconsequential. The focus knob has very fine pitch and can take a while to acquire focus, but once set there is very little adjustment needed between 200 and 300 yards. The scope has a solid feel, and the the caps are sturdy. The included tripod with micrometer azimuth and elevation makes slewing from one target to another fast and easy.
Pros: Performance exceeds expectations for the price; excellent table-top tripod

Excellent scope for the money!
Pros: clarity, price
Cons: size

A pretty good spotting scope for the money. I use it for target spotting at the shooting range and wildlife watching. I couldn't believe how clear the view was at 60x and from about 300m away. It sure beats walking to the target everytime I make a couple shots, to see where they hit.
Pros: Inexpensive, good quality, clear picture, lightweight.